Ball-rolling structure



March 9, 1965 E. v. PULLEN 3,172,401

BALL-ROLLING STRUCTURE Filed May 31, 1962' FIG. 1.

44 38 INVENTOR.

42 5Q 56 ERIC 1/. PULLEN "J 3 32 I Z 4e 5 United Statesv Patent 3,172,401 BALL-RQLLING STRUQTURE Eric V. Puller], Gardena, Calif, assignor to Eldon Industries, Inc., Hawthorne, Calili, a corporation of California Filed May 31, 1%2, Ser. No. 198,983 3 Claims. (Cl. 124-7) This invention pertains to a new and improved ballrolling structure. More specifically it pertains to ballrolling structures which are designed so as to effectively simulate individuals rolling bowling balls in both appearance and action.

At the present time there is a great deal of interest in a game commonly referred to as bowling. In this game as it is normally played an individual will grasp a relatively heavy ball and will roll this ball down an elongated platform or alley so as to cause various pins situated at the end of this alley remote from the individual to be engaged by the ball and knocked down. Because of the popularity of conventional bowling a number of efforts have been made in order to provide childrens games effectively simulating this game. In the past to a large extent these efforts have proved relatively unacceptable for any one of a variety of reasons. One of these reasons pertains to the diificulty in effectively and simply simulating the motions of an individual roll ing a bowling ball.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved ball-rolling structure. A more specific object is to provide a ball-rolling structure which can be used so as to effectively simulate a ball-rolling operation as performed by a human being. Further objects of the present invention are to provide ball-rolling structures which are relatively simple to manufacture and construct at comparatively nominal costs, and which are capable of operating satisfactorily over prolonged periods even when they are subjected to extreme misuse, as, for example, by children.

These and various other objects of this invention, as well as many specific advantages of it, will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

embodiment or form of a simulated bowling game employing a ball-rolling structure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to part of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the positions of various parts of the ballrolling structure illustrated in the preceding figures when this structure is in use.

From a careful consideration of the drawing and of the remainder of this specification it will be realized that a number of different changes or modifications may be made in the precise structure illustrated through the use or exercise of routine design or engineering skill without departing from the inventive features of this invention as defined in the appended claims forming a part of this disclosure.

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it concerns ballrolling structures, each of which includes: a support; a member mounted so as to extend from the support; an arm rotatably mounted on the member; a ball holder pivotally mounted on the arm remote from the member; link means connecting the member and the ball holder 3,172,491 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 at points spaced from the connections between the member and the arm, and the arms and the ball holder, respectively; and means for rotating the arm connected to the arm.

The actual details of the present invention are best more fully explained by referring directly to the ac companying drawing. Here there is shown a simulated bowling game 10 of the present invention which utilizes a ball-rolling structure 12 of the present invention for the purpose of rolling balls such as a ball 14 along a platform or alley 16 mounted upon a support 18 so such a ball engages various pins (not shown) generally within a pin-setting structure 20. A presently preferred type of pin-setting structure for use with the ball-rolling structure is shown in the copending application, Serial No. 226,099, filed September 25, 1962, entitled Bowling Machine Mechanism. If desired, however, other pin-setting or spotting structures may be employed with a game such as the game utilizing a ball-rolling structure corresponding to the structure 12 herein described.

This ball-rolling structure 12 includes a hollow member 22 simulating an individual in approximately the stance or position normally assumed while rolling a conventional bowling ball. Attached to a foot 24 of the member 22 is a small cylindrical section 26 which extends through an opening 28 in the support 13. A generally rectilinear housing 30 is attached to the extremity of this section 26 located generally within the support 18. This housing 34 has a circular opening 32 formed in its mottom which fits over a cylindrical boss 34. A flange 36 on the cylindrical section 26 bears against the exposed surface 'of the support 18 so as to aid in holding the member 22 with respect to this support 18. With this structure the openings 28 and 32 serve as bearings permitting the structure 12 to be rotated about a generally vertical axis.

Such rotation is accomplished by movement of a splined plunger 38 which fits within a correspondingly shaped extension 46 on the housing 36, and which extends through a slot 42 within the support 18. This plunger 38 includes a ball-shaped end 44 which is used as hereinafter described as well as a flange 46 which limits the amount it can be pulled away from the housing 30. Wit in this housing 3%) a triangularly shaped plate 48 is supported by means of a pivot pin 5b which extends across this housing. A corner of the plate 48 is attached by means of another pivot pin 52 to an extension 54 on the plunger 33. This third corner of the plate 48 is provided with an aperture Sdor hole which receives a bent end 58 of the wire link 60.

This link 69 extends through the interior of the member 22. The end 62 of it remote from the plate 48 is bent so as to extend through another hole 64 in a crank arm at extending from a shaft 68 which is attached to a hollow arm '70. This arm 70 is rotatably mounted upon the member 22 by the shaft 63 extending through a bearing opening 72 in the member 22 at about the normal position of an arm socket. The member 22 is provided with a comparatively small opening 74 extending parallel to the bearing opening '72. This small opening '74- is designed so as to receive a bent end 76 upon a coil spring 78 extending around a portion of the shaft 63. Another bent end 80 on the spring '78 engages a small hole 82 in the crank arm 66.

The opening 74 also receives a bent end $4 of a wire link 36 which extends through the arm 70 adjacent to an open end 88 of this arm 70. At this open end 82; a ball holder 9%) simulating an individuals hand is attached to the arm 74) by means of a pivot pin 92. This ball holder 96 includes a small hole 94 which receives another bent end 96 of the link 84. From this it will be seen that the arrangement with respect to the arm '70, the member 22, and the ball holder 9i) is essentially a parallelogram type of arrangement in which the corners of the parallelogram are the axes of the pivot pin 92, the hole 94, the opening '74 and the shaft 68, and that the angles between these four axes of rotation can be varied by pulling upon the ball-shaped end 44 of the plunger 38, causing the plate 43 to be rotated so as to, in turn, transmit motion through the link 60 and the crank arm 66 to the arm 70.

This type of motion is employed during the use of the complete ball-rolling structure 12 As this structure is utilized a ball, such as the ball 14, is located in a generally spherically shaped cavity 98 in the ball holder 9i) when the arm 70 extends in substantially a vertical manher as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. As the plunger 38 is pulled this arm 79 and the holder 9% will move to a position as indicated in FIG. of the drawing. Because of the parallelogram type of arrangement described in the preceding the cavity 93 will remain oriented so that the ball 14 is held in place as this occurs.

As the plunger 33 is pulled in this manner, tension will, of course, be applied to the spring 73. When the plunger 38 is released this spring Will automatically return the arm 79 to a position as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. As this is done the ball 14 will be propelled down the alley 16 with a motion very effectively simulating the actual delivery of a bowling ball. Thus, as this is done any tendency for the ball to be lofted or elevated to an undue extent will be minimized and an eifective rolling action will be achieved.

With the structure 12 the orientation of the member 22 and the various parts attached to it With respect to the remainder of the game may, of course, be varied by applying force to the plunger 38 so as to rotate the men1- ber 22 about a vertical axis defined by the various parts previously described which support the housing 3-9 upon the support 18. This enables the ball-rolling structure 12 to be oriented so that a ball, such as the ball 14, is delivered in precisely the desired manner along the alley 16. This also enables the structure 12 to be moved to a side position in which the ball holder 9% can be employed so as to pick up a bowling ball such as the ball 14 from a simulated ball-return groove 100.

Because of the nature of this invention those skilled in the art to which it pertains will realize that ball-rolling structures as herein described are very simple easily constructed devices which can be used in a simulated bowling game. Because of the nature of this invention it is to be considered as being limited solely by the appended claims forming a part of this disclosure.

I claim: 1. A ball-rolling structure which includes: a support; a member mounted on said support so as to extend upwardly from said support; an arm rotatably mounted on said member, said arm extending from said member toward said support; a ball-holder pivotally mounted on the extremity of said arm remote from said member; a link pivotally attached to said member and to said ball holder, said link being spaced from the axis of rotation between said arm and said member and the axis of rotation between said ball holder and said arm; and

means for rotating said arm connected to said arm.

2. A ball-rolling structure which includes:

a support;

a member simulating a person in a position rolling a bowling ball rotatably mounted upon said support so as to extend therefrom, said member including a housing located within said support;

an arm rotatably mounted on said member, said arm simulating a persons arm, said arm including a crank arm extending therefrom located within said memher;

a ball holder simulating a persons hand pivotally mounted on the extremity of said arm remote from said member, said ball holder having a spherically shaped cavity formed therein:

a link pivotally attached to said ball holder and to said member, said link extending through said arm and being oriented with respect to the axes of rotation of said arm with respect to said member and of said ballrholder with respect to said arm in a parallelogram type of pattern;

plunger means slidably mounted on said housing;

means connecting said plunger means with said crank arm so that when said plunger means is pulled away from said housing, said crank arm causes rotation of said arm inone direction; and

spring means for rotating said arm in the other direction, said spring means being located within said member.

3. A ball-rolling structure which includes:

a support;

a member mounted on said support so as to extend upwardly from said support;

an arm rotatably mounted on said member, said arm extending from said member toward said support;

a ball-holder pivotally mounted on the extremity of said arm remote from said member;

a link pivotally attached to said member and to said ball-holder, said link being spaced from the axis of rotation between. said arm and said member and the axis of rotation between said ball-holder and said arm; and

means for rotating said arm connected to said arm, said means including a plunger slidably mounted on said member, plate means pivotally mounted within said member and pivotally connected to said plunger, link means pivotally connected to said plate means and extending through said member, and a crank arm attached to said arm, said link means being pivotally connected to said crank arm.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,364,657 1/21 Torrey 46l45 X 2,206,213 7/40 \Veidemann 273--129 X RICHARD C.- PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. LOUIS PRINCE, Examiner, 

1. A BALL-ROLLING STRUCTURE WHICH INCLUDES: A SUPPORT; A MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT SO AS TO EXTEND UPWARDLY FROM SAID SUPPORT; AN ARM ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MEMBER, SAID ARM EXTENDING FROM SAID MEMBER TOWARD SAID SUPPORT; A BALL-HOLDER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE EXTREMITY OF SAID ARM REMOTE FROM SAID MEMBER; A LINK PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID MEMBER AND TO SAID BALL HOLDER, SAID LINK BEING SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION BETWEEN SAID ARM AND SAID MEMBER AND THE AXIS OF ROTATION BETWEEN SAID BALL HOLDER AND SAID ARM; AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ARM CONNECTED TO SAID ARM. 